Locking hitch bolt



June 24, 1941.

L. C. BOWMAN LOCKING HITCH BOLT Filed April 8, 1940 INVENTOR.

BY jg ATTORNEY.

joins together.

Patented June 24, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE Y Looms nrrcn BOLT Lowell C. Bowman, Hillsbor'o, Oreg.

' Application April 8, 1940, Serial No. 328,421

. 1 Claim.

This invention relates to bolts in general and specifically to bolts used in retaining two or more. elements in disengageable engagement with each other without the use of a nut and/or cotter key.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a threadless bolt which may be used to join two members together, such as a clevis and tongue; and which possesses movable means for holding the bolt in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bolt which has a movable bolt-retaining member and a resilient member formed as a. part thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a bolt which may be used in connecting to a vehicle any apparatus which may be drawn by the vehicle, such as trailers and farm implements.

An equally important object of the invention is to" provide a boltwhich may be used to connect two or more objects which require-some movement between them and which may require separation with a minimum of effort and loss of time.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a threadless bolt which does not require As a corollary to the'above object, the invention contemplates the use of means for insuring against the accidental removal of the bolt from its working position but, also permits rapid installation or deliberate removal of the bolt with dispatch and without the employment of any tools whatever.

Among other objects of the invention is that of providing a bolt which is simple but durable in construction, reliable and handy to'use, inexpensive to manufacture, unobtrusive when in place, decorative and attractive in its external appearance and which may be made into various sizes to accommodate different requirements.

Other objects and advantages will undoubtedly come to mind from the following description which must be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates one preferred and one modified embodiment by which the invention may be realized and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a. bolt embodying the principles of my invention, showing its position in relation to a clevis and tongue arrangement after it has joined the two together and is held securely by the bolt-retaining member.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the bolt embodying the principles of my invention, partly in section and partly broken away, to show its position in relation to a clevis and tongue arrangement either after it is inserted or prior to its removal therefrom.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary worms-eye view of the bolt embodying the principles of my invention, showing the position of the bolt-retaining member, when the bolt is in locked position.

Figure 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of av slightly modified bolt embodying the principles of my invention.

Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of the slightly modified bolt shown in Figure 4, taken on line 55 of said figure, looking in the direction indicated.

All parts having the same structural characteristics will be given the same reference character throughout the several views of the drawing.

The bolt embodying the principles of my invention consists of a head I, possessing contours common to bolts of present manufacture, and a stem 2, the length and diameter of which are determined by the job the bolt embodying the principles of my invention is intended to perform. The lower portion of the stem 2, is bifurcated to form fingers 3 and 4 and groove 5. A

. washerat is disposed around the stem 2 and is in the stem and the end Ill into an opening provided in the washer 8. In this manner the spring and the washer are secured against removal from the stem 2.

Apin ll isinsertedintofingersl and l ofstem Z-and a bolt-retaining member I! is secured to pin H and confined between fingers 3 and I in groove 5. The thickness of bolt-retaining member i2 is approximately equal to the thickness of the groove 5, so that it fits snugly therein and requires the application of some force .to move it about pin II. The bolt-retaining member may possess any demred shape although the trapezoidal shape shown in the drawing is deemed most desirable from the standpoint of appearserted in the aligned openings provided in the top and bottom plates i3 and II of clevis ll, after the opening formed in the tongue I. is positioned into registerable alignment with the openings formed in the plates of the clevis ii.

The position of the bolt-retaining member II, when the bolt has been inserted into the op nin s formed in the clevis and the tongue, is best illustrated in Figure 2 which shows the retaining member I! in longitudinal alignment with the stem 2, sothat the stem may easily be inserted into the openings. In order to permit the retaining member I! to be placed in the position shown in Figures 1 and 3, it is necessary to Dress downwardly on the head I of the bolt, so that the helical spring I is depressed as shown in Figure 2. When the. bolt is in this position, the retaining member- It is cleared from any obstruction to its movement in the groove I and it is easy to place the retaining member i2 in transverse position relative to the stem 2 of the bolt, so that it assumes the position shown in Figures 1 and 3. The pressure applied on the head I i then released and the compression on the helical spring I forces the bolt to assume the position shown in Figure 1. 'The helical spring 1 remains at all times under some compression, thereby holding the retaining member tautly against the plate I4 and also thus avoiding objectionable noises in-- cident to any loose connection. When it is desired to remove the bolt from its position relative to the clevis l5 and the tongue It, the head I is pressed downwardly to depress spring I into the position shown in Figure 2 and the retaining member then is placed into longitudinal alignment with stem 2. The pressure on the spring is then removed from the head I and the bolt is withdrawn from the openingsin the clevis and tongue, thus disengaging the two.

The slightly modified construction employed in Figures 4 and 5 consists of a recess i'l formed in one of the fingers, such a finger 4. A helical spring ll surrounds the pin II and has oneof.

its ends anchored to the retaining member I! and the other of itse ends anchored in the finger I. When this type of constructionis employed, the thickness of the retaining member may be less than that of the groove 5. The helical spring it maintains the retaining member I! at all times in longitudinal alignment with the stem 2 as shown in Figures 4 and 5. When it is de: sired that the retaining member I! shown in Figures 4 and 5 assume the position of the retaining .spring I on the stem 2, thus member I! as shownin Figures .1 and 3, helical? spring I is depressed to the position as shown in Figure 2 andthe retaining member I! is'transversely aligned in relation to stem! against the resistance of the spring ll, 'Ihepressure'is then removed from'the helical spring I whilethe retaining member I! is held in its transverse position until it contacts the plate ll of the'clevis IS. The retaining member I! will then be heldln this position by the constant upward urged the overcoming the resistance'of the spring II to normally urge the retaining member I! to assume the positions shown in Figure? and 5. V v

The clevis and tongue shown in the drawing are merely for illustrative purposes in order to indicate; one means by which the invention may be employed in joining two or more elements together, when it is desired that such elements be easily disengageable. It is therefore to be understood that it is not to be considered as a limitationto the uses to which the invention may .claim as new anddesire to be scribed in connection with one preferred and one modified embodiment, it should be understood that variants thereof are possible to those skilled in the art. The invention, therefore, in its broader aspect is not limited to the specific construction herein shown and described since changes may be made in the structural characteristics without departing from the spirit of the invention. Hence it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction set forth and desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are embodied by and specifically set forth in the claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I secure by Letters Patent is:

In a device of the class described, comprising a threadless bolt of well-known contours, the lower portion of said bolt being bifurcated to form a roove in the stem thereof, a pin fixedly secured in transverse relation to and confined to the bifurcated portion of said stem, a trapezoidallyshapedbolt-retaining member movably disposed upon said pin and confined within said groove adapted to lock said bolt in place when desired, said bolt retaining member, when in transverse relation to the bolt, forming projections beyond w the circumference of the bolt, a washer surrounding the stem of said bolt, a spring circumscribing the stem of said bolt and disposed between the head of said bolt and said washer adapted to be normally compressed, when said bolt is in locked position and a resilient element associated with said pin and said bolt retaining member adapted normally to urge and maintain the bolt retaining member in said groove and in vertical alignment with said stem.

LOWELL C. BOWMAN.

put: and, while the invention has been de- 

